Change Your Prescription for 2017

    As 2016 comes to a close, one can’t help but reflect on what a difficult year we all endured.   We endured one of the nastiest and most contentious political campaigns in history that revealed how divided our nation has become.  We saw the loss of far too many of our popular culture icons to disease, addiction, and the inevitable ravages of time.  We also saw an unprecedented spike in violence against our police officers, many of whom were simply seated in their patrol car and only targeted because of the uniform they wore.  If we only listened to the news, this might be what we choose to take away from 2016, as we wish it a hasty farewell.

     However, there have also been many victories that show the power of God, good, and the human spirit.  In recent days, an Uber driver saved a young girl from child sex slavery, George Michael donated a great deal of his time and fortune to charity and homeless shelters, a Texas police officer gave a young African American male a chance to redeem himself by having him do push-ups in lieu of arrest for a minor drug infraction, and 2016 was one of the safest aviation years in history.  You see, the news tends to focus primarily on the negative, and it skews our viewpoint.  It’s like the negative person at work who tries to draw everyone into their miserable black hole.  We have the power to resist it, but we often find ourselves being slowly sucked in. 

     If we choose to focus on negativity, we will inevitably become negative ourselves.   That is why the new year is a great time to re-focus our lens, or to change our paradigm on life.  If we choose to spend the majority of our time focusing on the good news of the Bible, or positive news stories, or acting out of love, or donating our time to the needy, we will change the attitude we operate from on a daily basis.  People will notice the change too, believe me.  How hard is it really to open a door for someone or to say thank you?  Are you really that busy watching the mindless media on your television or phone that you can’t spare a couple of hours down at the homeless shelter?  Does your child really have to participate in every single sport at school instead of learning the value of community service or eating together as a family?  In this overly negative and hyped-up techno world, we must take the time to decompress and be human.  It is critical to our emotional and mental health.  It is also critical to the health of our relationships.  It is little wonder why we are so successful as a nation materially, but we are also one of the most miserable and depressed.

     So if there is one thing I wish for the new year, it is that 2017 sees a growth of love and peace through the focus on others, instead of continuing in our negative, selfish, and often cruel ways.  I hope that we can begin to heal as a nation along political and racial lines.  I hope that we take off our ugly glasses and throw them in the trash, while we don a new set of prescription lenses to view the world through.  Once you do, I promise you that will see how beautiful our world actually is and what a gift from God we have truly been blessed with.  It doesn’t mean that we turn a blind eye to evil or the ugliness that we must co-exist with, but it does mean that it doesn’t need to be the primary focus of our lives.  I wish everyone a very happy and healthy 2017!